ATTEMPTS to introduce all-postal voting for this year's Kirklees Council elections have been blocked for a fifth time by peers.

The row over the trials in June's elections looks set to go to the wire as the Government refuses to back down in its clash with the Lords over pilot regions.

MPs sent the Bill back to the Lords after peers had overturned Government plans for the unprecedented fifth time.

MPs will be given further time tomorrow to resolve the issue if peers continue their opposition.

The Bill needs to get through Parliament by the end of business on Thursday when MPs rise for the Easter recess or it may be too late to implement for the elections.

MPs voted to send the Bill back to the Lords by 302 votes to 182 - a 120 majority.

Mr Hain's Tory opposite, Oliver Heald, taunted that it was appropriate that the Government would be using extra time on April Fool's Day to "force through" changes to the electoral system in the face of opposition from the Electoral Commission and every other party in parliament.

Mr Hain warned the situation was unprecedented, adding: "We have never been, according to the records we have been able to discover, in the situation where the House of Lords has disagreed this number of times."

Earlier peers threw out the trials plans by just 136 votes to 130.

The Government wants experiments in four regions – Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands, North East and North West for the council and European Parliament elections on June 10.

But peers say the trials should be limited to three, with the north west excluded.